


If I told you I was down, I was down, would you lift me up?

by ThornedRose44



Series: Me and you got something magic [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Adorable Kara, Attempt at Humor, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Kara's internal thoughts, Oblivious Kara, oblivious lena
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 07:26:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12979041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThornedRose44/pseuds/ThornedRose44
Summary: So Kara loved a lot things and she would proclaim it proudly. Kara loved the first frost of winter (it makes everything look like a winter wonderland, it’s awesome), she loved the hotdogs on the corner of eighth street (the vendor there always gives me a little bit extra of all the dressings), she loved potstickers (well, duh) she loved her ‘super’-friends (of course I love them, have you met them? They’re amazing. I mean take Wi-), and she now loved Lena ( ….).This love was different and Kara didn’t know what to do about it. (You’re making me sound inept. I’ll have you know I can be smooth and charming, a female James Bond when I want to-) Take last week as an example.(Let’s not! No one needs to know about that!!)Or,5 times that Kara said 'I love you' and the one time Lena said it back.(This is 'I have this human love' from Kara's perspective. So it is standalone, but it better when the two are read together.)





	If I told you I was down, I was down, would you lift me up?

Kara had loved many things about Krypton.

The flowers her mother kept on the windowsill, the music that her father played on repeat in the evenings, the food her parents would cook together as she ran between their legs. ( _Even at that early stage my lack of cooking skills was kind of obvious and I was made head ‘fetcher’ which I was repeatedly told was a very important job, okay?_ ).

Kara had been a subdued, rather reserved child ( _nice way of saying shy and unsmiling_ ), due to the high expectations placed upon her by her family’s reputation and high standing. Every day brought a new challenge, a new triumph or failure as she worked towards the science guild… _enjoying the small things kind of fell to the wayside._

And then her world ended.

The vibrant purple petals of Kara’s favourite flower were torn to pieces and reduced to ash.

The music her father used to twirl her around the living room to, disappeared into the ether never to be heard again, the notes and tune slowly becoming lost in Kara’s memory.

The food that Kara would always pout and beg for a second serving of, would never be consumed again. The unique ingredients grown on Krypton were obliterated and the recipes lost alongside all the kryptonian lives.

_How about we pick this up a little bit, huh? This is kind of a massive downer…_

_How about we all go grab some potstickers and watch ‘The Princess Bride’? I’ll invite Lena, she probably hasn’t seen it and she-_

Arriving on Earth was difficult but eventually with Alex’s support, protection and guidance ( _let’s invite Alex as well, we always act out the swordfights with our own personal custom made lightsabres … don’t tell her I told you that though… she swore me to secrecy and she can be very scary when she wants to be_ ), Kara embraced her new home with the desire never to overlook even the smallest thing that made this planet so spectacular. 

So Kara loved a lot things and she would proclaim it proudly. Kara loved the first frost of winter ( _it makes everything look like a winter wonderland, it’s awesome_ ), she loved the hotdogs on the corner of eighth street ( _the vendor there always gives me a little bit extra of all the dressings_ ), she loved potstickers ( _well, duh_ ) she loved her ‘super’-friends ( _of course I love them, have you met them? They’re amazing. I mean take Wi-_ ), and she now loved Lena ( _…._ ).

The issue with this most recent development ( _Issue? There’s no issue. Everything’s fine, I mean just yesterday-_ ) was that it wasn’t an ordinary love. In kryptonese, there are three words for love.

_Oooh, I know, I know, pick me!!_

_Shovuh is affection for inanimate objects._

Potstickers. ( _Yes, siree._ )

_Ukiem is familial love._

Alex. _(Exactamundo!_ )

_Zhao is for romantic love._

Lena. _(Spot on- I mean, pfft… no, I don’t… whatever… shut up… I’m working on it, okay?!_ )

This love was different and Kara didn’t know what to do about it. ( _You’re making me sound inept. I’ll have you know I can be smooth and charming, a female James Bond when I want to-_ ) Take last week as an example.

_Let’s not! No one needs to know about that!!_

**1 Week Ago** ( _Damn it!_ )

It was a bleak Wednesday morning at CatCo and Kara had just been yelled at ( _again_ ) by Snapper causing the normally cheery Danvers to sigh despondently at regular intervals much to the annoyance of those nearby. Lena, even though she couldn’t hear the sighs or see the crease in Kara’s forehead, had somehow instinctively realised that Kara was upset simply through a couple of text messages and Lena ( _being the absolute amazing person that she is_ ) turned up at Catco with two different types of takeout for lunch.

Kara, who had been wandering between aisles back to her office after another dressing down from Snapper, instantly changed course around the array of desks when she caught a glimpse of the CEO struggling under the weight of double Kara’s normal intake of food. The second Kara was within Lena’s eye line, Lena smiled that small smile that Kara knew she was beyond unique to receive, and always caused Kara’s steel legs to tremble beneath her.

Lena freed an arm from beneath the bags of food to pull Kara into a quick side hug that had Kara’s heart fluttering and stuttering.

_Lena initiating physical contact/affection is and always will be a gift._

In Kara’s defence of what she blurted out immediately following the hug… there was a lot of mitigating factors. She had been having a bad day and then Lena appeared… _With that stunning smile… those captivating green eyes… that tight hug she always gives… and food._

“Marry me.” Kara sighed out as Lena slowly stepped back from their embrace. Kara’s eyes were half-closed in pure contentment at the mere presence of Lena within arm’s reach, and her mind was in a pleasant daze from the warm press of Lena’s body against hers. That’s why it took a long moment to realise what she had said, and why Lena’s head was tilted and why she was giving Kara a wide-eyed slightly shocked expression.

_ABORT! ABORT!_

Kara’s eyebrows shot up and her mouth started moving incredibly fast with absolutely zero sound coming out. Lena coyly smirked before biting her bottom lip, resulting in a strange strangling noise to be emitted from Kara’s throat. “I think you should at least take me to dinner first before we run off into the sunset.”

“Ha Ha Ha…” Kara laughed loudly and awkwardly before spluttering, “Marriage-, Dinner-, Me-, You-, Food…” Kara knew she was bright red; on the blushing scale she was somewhere between a tomato and a furnace, and she was half-expecting Lena to simply turn around and walk away from the train-wreck that was Kara trying to keep her cool.

_This is a golden opportunity and you’re blowing it!_

_DATE! Just say the word DATE!_

“Bate! Mate! D-d-d-” Kara stuttered out.

“Don’t worry, Kara, it was just a slip. Let’s just go have lunch.” Lena suggested quietly as she placed a soothing hand on Kara’s arm, the touch sent electric shocks shooting around Kara’s body, which calmed and excited her equally.

Kara exhaled deeply, thankful that Lena’s comforting words and touch had stopped her yelling random words out but was still disappointed overall that she hadn’t gotten round to yelling out anything that actually mattered.

_Time to move past this embarrassing moment as quickly and painlessly as possible._

“Lunch! Yes! My office! Let’s go!” Kara exclaimed, sweeping the food balanced in Lena’s arms up as she turned around and opened the nearest door and strode confidently inside.

_Well, shit._

“Umm… Kara, that’s a closet.” Lena stated carefully from somewhere behind Kara.

_That’s it, I live here now. In this closet._

**Present Day**

_I hate you. I hope you know that._

Kara, therefore, knew that she had to be on guard around Lena if she didn’t want to freak the youngest Luthor out with how hard she had fallen for her. It was hardwork, keeping herself from saying the love word especially after spending years easily letting it fall from her lips. Saying she loved Lena would have meant significantly more than any other time she had said ‘I love you’ to anyone else.

There were many times that Kara struggled to restrain herself from blurting it out as Lena would regularly do things that were so kind or thoughtful or simply adorable that Kara wanted nothing more than to sweep the warm-hearted woman into her arms, kiss her and proclaim her love for her for as long as Lena would let her.

For example when Lena, who loved chicken wings more than anything ( _even if she would never admit it_ ), would offer to share them with Kara even when it was obvious she wanted them all to herself.

Or when Lena never once got upset or annoyed when Kara cancelled their plans last minute, instead simply telling Kara to let her know when she was next free without any fuss.

Or when Lena would go above and beyond on a regular basis to help her employees and would always take the time to listen to their concerns and ideas.

Or when Lena would always try to do the crossword with a pen and have to give up halfway through when she had gotten the majority of them wrong and run out of space for corrections.

Or when the two of them were watching ‘The Lion King’ on the sofa, Lena having changed into Kara’s pyjamas ( _I can neither confirm nor deny that I reduced the coffee maker into a scrap of metal at that sight)_ cuddled under Kara’s arm as they both sobbed following the death of Mufasa.

Which finally brings us to today.

The day Kara simply couldn’t hold it in anymore.

Kara’s week had been hectic and she had barely seen Lena for the majority of it so Saturday couldn’t come quickly enough. She would get to see Lena in her pyjamas ( _when you put it like that I sound like a creep… I just think she deserves to be in comfortable clothing and I th-_ ) and continue Lena’s animated film education. But, of course, halfway through the film there had to be a fire that required Supergirl. The understanding expression that swept over Lena’s face as Kara lied yet again ( _I get it, I’m a horrible person, you can’t make me feel any guiltier_ ) making up some poorly constructed excuse of needing ice cream ( _how dare you? That was a brilliant excuse, Lena knows how important mint choc chip ice cream is to me and-_ ) sent a sharp stab of pain into Kara’s heart.

_Stop cutting me off, like that! I know I tend to ramble but-_

The fire took far longer than Kara had anticipated, as it had spread from an office building to an apartment block next door. By the time everyone was safe and the fire was out, Kara was tired to the bone and she more or less fluttered home on her last bit of energy. Exhaustion and disappointment over not getting to spend time with Lena meant that she was not even slightly prepared for what was awaiting her when she returned.

A sturdy fort of blankets enveloped her living room, pillows were stacked high beneath the fabric roof inviting Kara to flop down and there was a mouth-watering display of food in the centre of it all, the stack of potstickers calling out her name. The fort, the pillows and the food were instantly forgotten, though, at the sight of Lena who was chuckling sweetly at Kara’s joy waiting beside it all for her. The desire to have Lena in her arms was all consuming, and Kara was by her side before she had even consciously decided to move.

Kara loved hugging Lena, she was soft and acted as if Kara was precious when she hugged her back, as if afraid to hurt her by holding too tight. Kara loved how she could bury her nose into Lena’s dark hair and smell the light floral shampoo she used every day. Kara loved how when she pulled back from their embrace, Lena’s green eyes seemed to shine and glow with affection.

_Rao, she’s incredible._ “Thanks, Lena. This is why I love you.”

_What did I just say?! Oh Rao, I should never open my mouth again when I’m aro-_

Indescribable fear gripped Kara’s hea- ( _Really, you interrupt me now, but you couldn’t interrupt before I blurted out my love for Lena!_ ) –rt especially as Lena’s face suddenly went void of any and all emotion, her eyes dimming instantly at Kara’s exclamation. To prevent any further errant declarations of love, Kara quickly grabbed the nearest stack of potstickers and filled her mouth until it was at full capacity. “Wh- What are we watching next?” Kara eventually spluttered as Lena remained silent.

-

It had been the busiest week of Kara’s life.

A bounty was out on a rather, annoying and creepy alien who had sought refuge on Earth after stealing from the equivalent of the alien mafia. The price on his head was so high it attracted bounty hunters from across the galaxy to have a crack at taking him out, and none of them had any concern about if they hurt innocent human beings along the way. Just as Kara finished dealing with one hunter a new one would pop up somewhere else ( _it was a like crappy version of whack-a-mole_ ). Everything was finally resolved when the DEO arranged for the alien to return the money and placed him in custody.

Once Kara was free from battling aliens, she then had to fend off her family and friends.

Alex insisted on a sister’s night, Winn wanted a games’ night as they missed out on the last two, James took up Kara’s lunchtimes ( _which were well-known to be time she liked to spend with Lena_ ) for work catch-ups, even J’onn arranged drinks at the alien bar for everyone. Kara loved her family, but their overwhelming attention meant she had no time left to see Lena.

She had cancelled on Lena more times in the last couple of weeks than she had probably actually seen her since they had become friends. Kara knew Lena had no one else ( _I don’t mean to make her send pathetic… but no one else knows how amazing she is because of her brother and because the world is filled with small minded peop-_ ) and that was why it hurt so much when she had to cancel.

It was the first night that Kara had time to herself, and it was approaching midnight as she flopped down on the sofa and stared at the turned off screen. Instead of enjoying the solitude all Kara felt was a deep hollowness.

She missed Lena.

Kara had been looking forward to some time by herself, not having to be cheery and show off to people that she was okay so they wouldn’t worry. But all she wanted was Lena… here with her. Not even necessarily talking.

Lena poorly completing a crossword at one end of the sofa as Kara read a book.

Kara pouted in her empty apartment as she imagined the scenario she had created, playing it out for her own entertainment.

It was late and Lena was probably... _still at work!_ _Damn it, Lena._

Kara quickly pushed herself up of the sofa, convinced that she would find Lena still at her desk having barely eaten all day.

Kara was right. ( _Considering the circumstances, that doesn’t make me as happy as I thought it would_ ).

Lena was hunched over her computer, dark circles ringed her eyes as she stared, with laser-like focus at her computer screen. Kara hovered uncertainly in the doorway, Lena had been through so many assassination attempts that Kara knew better than to march in and scare the life out of the CEO.

“Lena?” Kara called out as quietly as she could, Lena, nevertheless, still jerked up in surprise. Her eyes went momentarily wide with fear which vanished the moment she saw Kara, only to be replaced by a guilty look that was adorable and had Kara almost rushing over to reassure her that she had done nothing wrong. ( _Don’t tell her how powerful her guilty expression is as I bet her Luthor side would come out and she would abuse her newfound power… like I do with my pout._ )

“Why are you still here?” Kara asked already knowing the answer as she pushed down her uncertainty and strode confidently over to Lena, channelling her Supergirl persona as best she could. “Lena, you look exhausted, you should be at home.” Kara carefully closed the lid of Lena’s laptop and made sure to put on her best pout to guarantee Lena caved to her request immediately.

“Sorry.” Lena murmured as she hung her head like a small girl apologising for a wrongdoing, her strong businesswoman persona nowhere to be seen. Kara’s heart squeezed uncomfortably at the image of a young Lena having to apologise to the Luthor family for even the smallest misdemeanour.

Kara never wanted to make Lena feel like that, never wanted to make her feel small for even a second.

Never wanted Lena to think Kara’s love would vanish because Lena did something Kara didn’t like.

Kara reached out and interlocked her fingers with Lena’s and pulled her to her feet, “I love you, Lena, but I absolutely hate your workaholic attitude.” Kara heard Lena’s breath catch and her heartrate soar before falling back to a natural rhythm astonishingly quickly.

_Does me loving her, scare her that much?_

Kara forced the brightest smile she possibly could, even though there was a dull pain radiating throughout her chest. She ushered Lena out of the office and led her back to Kara’s apartment. Kara knew on some level it was selfish to bring Lena back to her place, but the young Luthor’s presence had somehow become critical to Kara’s apartment actually feeling like home. There was always the feeling of something missing when Lena wasn’t there. So Kara had to fight off the stab of guilt every time Lena yawned. Lena’s apartment was closer to L-Corp, but Kara was more or less frog-marching her a longer distance.

_Okay, so I’m starting to see why she might not love me the same way, alright?_

_I lie to her pretty much every day._

_I never have time for her, and when I do I force I her to drop whatever she’s doing to see me._

_I get it… okay…_

_Please, just stop…_

-

Kara had been so careful with her words after that night. She hadn’t slipped in an ‘I love you’ for a long time. ( _Not even when Lena got ice cream on her nose and pouted adorably when I laughed at her for it. Or when she revealed her plans to restructure L-Corp’s bio-engineering department to work towards providing medicine for the numerous alien refugees. I pretty much wanted to yell out my love for her after that last one… who could possibly think Lena was bad?_ )

Thing is Kara had been doing so well, she was due a slip-up. ( _Why would I be due a slip-up? I can keep this up forever. Watch me. I have loads of restraint._ )

Kara had ensured ( _by mild threats…_ ) that the DEO would cover any Supergirl emergencies that might come up for the next few hours so that there would be absolutely no reason for her to have to cancel lunch with Lena. Kara was therefore feeling exceedingly confident, cocky even, when Lena phoned to confirm that Kara could indeed make lunch.

This confidence was Kara’s downfall.

“Okay, if you’re sure, I’ll see you soon.” Kara could practically hear that small smile she loved so much behind Lena’s words over the phone and that in turn caused the largest, cheesiest grin to take over Kara’s face.

“Okie-dokie. Love you, see you soon.” Kara pressed end call and started shuffling the papers on her desk before she finally realised what she had just said.

_Okie-dokie?! Who the hell says okie-dokie, anymore?!_

_Then I followed it up with ‘love you’?!_

_That’s a two punch word vomit…_

-

Kara had been moping ( _I wouldn’t call it moping… more meandering…_ ) around the DEO for the last few days, trying to avoid any and all reminders of her unrequited love. The DEO was the only place that didn’t remind her of Lena, so she had taken to hiding out there as much as possible.

“So are you going to tell me what’s been causing the crease or am I going to have to force you into a sister’s night to find out?” Kara jumped and hovered in the air in surprise at the sudden appearance of her sister who was crossing her arms and scrutinising Kara closely, concern dancing in her eyes.

_I have super-hearing and she still manages to creep up on me? How is that possible? Is it some sort of in-built big sister trick?_

“Kara?” Alex prompted with a curt eyebrow raise as Kara slowly lowered herself back to the ground and ducked her head to avoid Alex’s piercing stare.

Kara sighed forlornly ( _I did not sigh forlornly, I was merely breathing… with emphasis_ ) and shrugged half-heartedly. Alex pushed off from the wall she had been leaning against and laid a hand on Kara’s shoulder.

“Is this about Lena?” Alex asked quietly.

“What? No, don’t be ridiculous. Lena, pfft…. No way.” Kara spluttered her arms gesticulating wildly causing Alex’s eyes to widen in mild alarm.

“Kara, stop, it’s fine.” Alex carefully reached out and caught her wrists, preventing further wild movements. Kara exhaled deeply and stared at her big sister with pursed lips and an even more deeply furrowed brow.

Kara didn’t talk about Lena to her sister or the super-friends, not after the medusa virus.

Not after they instantly turned against Lena.

Instantly presumed guilt over innocence.

Their dismissal of Lena’s obvious goodness cut Kara deeply. Kara knew they felt bad about it. Winn had reached out to Lena and the two nerds were slowly working towards becoming friends as they bonded over L-Corp’s newest projects. James had sent over a formal apology to Lena.  Alex, however… Alex hadn’t done anything. Not apologised. She hadn’t even mentioned Lena, until now apparently.

“Look, I know I haven’t been fair to Lena… and I am truly sorry for that.” Kara blinked in surprise, the deep crease lessening at Alex’s honest words and apparent guilt in her eyes. “It’s just… Kara… I’m your sister… and it’s not easy for me to trust someone when I know they are smart enough and knowledgeable enough to cause you harm. Her family history should not define who she is, I know that…. But it does mean if she ever wanted to… she is probably one of the few people on this planet who could actually hurt you.” Kara made to speak, to insist that Lena would never do something like that but Alex was shaking her head and squeezing Kara’s wrists to show that she wasn’t finished, “I know she would never do that… to be honest after what I’ve seen I don’t think she could hurt someone unless it was in self-defence.” Alex’s grip loosened and she took a slight step back, “What I’m trying to say is… I don’t want Lena to be someone you don’t think you can talk to me about. She’s your friend and she matters to you. And I think if I got to know her, I would like to be her friend as well.”

“Really?” Kara asked with a slight head tilt.

“Really. Invite her to the next games’ night. I’ve already checked with James and Winn, they want her there too.” Alex revealed with a small smile that had Kara pulling Alex into a tight hug that caused the hardened agent to giggle and splutter.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

_Best sister ever!_

Now that Alex was alright with Kara and Lena’s friendship, Kara only had to reveal the actual depth of her feelings about Lena to her sister.

_Let’s not get ahead of ourselves! One step at a time!_

Kara spun her sister round before depositing her back on the ground, not entirely gracefully ( _it was very graceful, thank you very much_ ). Alex regained her balance and rolled her eyes at her sister’s exuberance.

Kara smiled widely as she asked the question that was niggling at the back of her brain, “What made you change your mind about Lena?”

Alex blushed and suddenly looked incredibly guilty. Kara raised an eyebrow and tapped her foot in pre-emptive disapproval of whatever Alex had done, “I may have kept tabs on her for a while.”

“You followed her?” Kara reprimanded.

“Only for a little while.” Alex defended ( _weakly_ ), “And I stopped after…” Alex paused as she bit her lip and glanced at the time on her watch, “Kara, do you know what Lena does every Sunday morning at pretty much exactly this time?”

“Err…. No. She’s always busy on Sunday mornings, she says she catches up on work.” Kara answered in bewilderment at Alex’s seemingly random question.

Alex smiled as she patted Kara’s shoulder, “What she does on Sundays is what convinced me that she is nothing like her brother.”

“What does she do on Sundays?” Kara couldn’t stop herself from asking.

Alex smirked in response. ( _There’s a good chance that she knows how I really feel about Lena if her expression right now is anything to go off of…_ )

-

Kara flew to Luthor’s Children Hospital and hovered above it, focusing on extending her hearing out to find Lena. All Alex had told Kara was the hospital’s name, and encouraged her to go see for herself.

It was remarkably easy to tune into Lena’s soft tones, her voice was like honey, or warm butter on toast. It captivated and reassured simultaneously.

_She’s reading a story._

Kara listened as Lena put on a voice to emulate a wizened old woman.

Listened as she howled like a wolf when the story demanded it.

Listened as she deepened her tone to match the charming prince.

Listened as Lena sang the princess’ song for her true love.

Listened as Lena’s volume dropped and as she found a rhythm to match the slumbering breath of the small girl who had fallen asleep whilst enjoying Lena’s tale.

“And they all lived happily ever after.”

_Oh Rao…_

Kara’s breathing came out in sharp breaths as she was transported back to the real world. The story was over and all Kara wanted was to see Lena. See those bright green eyes that entranced her at every turn. Kara needed to see her after being so touched by her voice alone.

Kara was speeding down to the hospital without a second thought, hurriedly changing into the clothes she had tucked below her arm during her flight over to the hospital. She was standing outside the hospital room before Lena had even exited it after finishing the story.

“Lena.” Kara breathed out in awe, unable to stop herself when she thought Lena might walk past her without realising, denying Kara the chance to fully see her.

“Hi.” Lena squeaked in surprise, her eyes wide and darting around as she took in Kara’s appearance.

_Whoops, I scared her… quick fix this!_

Kara allowed the emotions she had been feeling since hearing Lena read out loud so beautifully to take over her expression; a big, cheesy grin quickly took up residence on Kara’s face. Lena blinked rapidly up at Kara before ducking her gaze to the floor.

_Too much! You’re still freaking her out!_

“What are you doing here?” Lexa asked timidly.

_Uh oh… I have no reason for being here…. Think of something…_

Kara turned bright red and began to stammer, “I… uh, I was, uh…”

_Anything! Say ANYTHING!!_

"I was in the neighbourhood…” _That doesn’t work, you’re in a hospital!_ “I mean the ward.” _Nice save…._

"Right…” Lena muttered despondently with a shake of her head that caused a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of Kara’s stomach.

  _Rao, she must think I’m a stalker…_

_Or worse that I didn’t trust her and was following her…_

_Actually is that worse? Stalker or untrusting friend… I should ask Alex which is worse later._

_"_ You heard?” Lena questioned, gesturing to a spot near the door when she glimpsed Kara’s eyes going wide as she struggled to voice… anything, really, “Me reading. You heard me reading?”

Kara sighed and jumped on the opening that Lena had given her to move past her bout of awkwardness, “Yes. You were… so… so…”, Kara couldn’t think of any words that summed up how incredible Lena was… the lack of suitable adjectives springing to mind resulted in Kara’s honest declaration, “I mean, Rao, if I didn’t love you before I definitely do now.”

It was in that moment that Kara accepted that she would never be able to stop herself from saying she loved Lena. Loving Lena was so easy, so natural… _why in Rao’s name would I try to hide it?_

_So what if Lena never says it back?_

_So what if Lena never feels the same way?_

_Lena deserves to know that she is loved._

_Deserves to know that someone in this world loves her just the way she is._

_I won’t let her for even a second believe that she is unloved ever again._

-

"Kara.”

"Hey, Alex.” Kara chirped back over the phone as she stared at the shelves in the grocery store trying to decide on what snacks to get for games’ night tomorrow, “Cheetos or Doritos? I can’t decide what would be best for tomorrow.”

"Kara.” Alex said softly through the phone but Kara was so focused on the very important task of what snacks to get for Lena’s first games’ night that she didn’t ever register her name being said.

"Cheetos are messy but Winn loves them, so if I get them he will be over the moon.” Kara began to ramble, sharing her unfiltered thought process with her sister.

"Kara-” Alex said more sternly this time.

"Doritos are bland and I would have to buy those different dips but then again everyone likes Doritos. How about I just get both? No, that’s too much. Well, we have got another person this time so-”

"Kara!” Alex yelled through the phone, her voice harsh and croaky.

Kara’s heart stopped.

_Something terrible has happened._

“Alex, what’s happened?” Kara asked quietly as the two bags of crisps dropped to the floor.

“Lena-”

_No…_

Kara was out of the store and flying so fast she broke the sound barrier on the way over to the DEO. Alex was waiting for her inside, a pained expression revealing just how serious this was. Winn was typing faster than Kara had ever seen him type in the background.

“What happened?!” Kara snapped, her breath coming out ragged and harsh.

Alex raised her hands in a placating manner as J’onn who was nearby took a few steps away from Kara. “Okay, Kara, just stay calm. We will find her, I promise.” The mild fear in her sister’s eyes was what made Kara realise that her own eyes were glowing with heat and the ground beneath her feet was cracking under her fury.

Kara forced a few deep breaths and unclenched her fists, the fire in her eyes receding. “What happened?” Kara asked again more in control this time.

Alex slowly lowered her hands before answering, “Lena was kidnapped when exiting L-Corp. We have footage of her exiting the building and an unmarked van pulling up alongside her. The feed cuts out but we have the van speeding away a couple of streets away and no sign of Lena elsewhere.”

"Who took her and why?” Kara demanded, her jaw tightening as she watched the security feed playing on repeat on the big screens.

Alex bit her lip uncertainly as she scrutinised her sister’s profile. “We believe Lex’s men took her.” Kara glanced at her sister and saw the hesitancy in her expression.

"What aren’t you telling me?”

"Kara, we have reason to believe that Lena knows you are Supergirl.” Alex whispered softly.

Kara didn’t know what to say, or how to respond, instinct took over. Her mouth turned into a snarl as she looked around at the agents who were watching on in curiosity. “If you are about to suggest that Lena is working with her brother or-”

"NO!” Alex shouted resolutely, “I’m not suggesting that all!”

Kara’s sudden flare of anger started to ebb away as her sister walked towards her until she was within arm’s reach. That’s when Kara saw the sadness in Alex’s eyes.

"Kara… We believe Lex took Lena because she was working to find a cure for kryptonite.” Alex’s words were gentle and soothing in tone but they sucker-punched Kara worse than any physical blow she had received.

"She was taken because she was trying to protect me.” Kara spoke the words slowly as if committing them to memory.

_The person I would do anything to protect… the person I would do anything to make happy… kidnapped… because of me._

_Hurt because of me._

_"_ No, Kara. She was taken because her brother is a madman.” Alex declared futilely as Kara strode over to Winn, choosing to completely ignore her sister. Her red cape snapped aggressively as she paced across the room.

"Where is she, Winn?” Kara asked with a chillingly cold voice.

Winn glanced up at her for less than a second before returning to the screen, his expression serious and intensely focused. “I have four potential locations at the moment.”

"Just give me an address.”

 -

The sight of Lena on the rusted table, blood on her wrists, her muscles twitching unnaturally after the electric shocks caused the blazing fury to vanish immediately only to be replaced with a pain akin to watching her planet turn to rubble.

"No, no, no. Please be okay…” Kara begged as she rushed over to the table. The bad guys ( _sons of a bitches is what they are… that’s what Lena would call them_ ), were escaping but Kara could not leave Lena to chase after them.

_She’s the only thing that matters._

The whole world fell silent, the comm chatter barely even registering as Alex tried to coordinate her team to chase after the SOBs. Kara hurriedly freed Lena from her restrains before gently cradling the unresponsive woman’s upper body in her arms.

Water droplets fell on Lena’s face and it took Kara a long moment to realise that she was crying. “Please, don’t leave me. I love you, please, don’t leave me.”

_Please don’t leave me._

_I haven’t watched you fail at the crossword enough times._

_I haven’t watched enough animated films with you._

_I haven’t seen your green eyes enough._

_I haven’t heard you read enough stories._

_I haven’t said I love you enough._

Lena’s eyes slowly opened allowing Kara to see those captivating green eyes and bless Kara with the most powerful emotion of all.

_Hope._

“Kara.” Lena whispered before her eyelids slid closed once again.

Lena’s momentary awakening was enough to spur Kara to action, with incredible tenderness Kara lifted Lena up and flew as fast and as safely as she could to the nearest hospital where she insisted, not even trying to appear unintimidating, that Lena receive the best care possible.

As doctors immediately sprung to action to tend to Lena, Kara’s anger slowly returned and she wanted nothing more than to hunt down the men responsible for causing harm to the woman she loved. But there was no way that Kara was going to leave Lena without anyone there who cared for her on a personal level.

It wasn’t until Jess arrived, using her hefty purse to beat her way through the DEO guards to check on Lena that Kara felt she wouldn’t be abandoning Lena if Jess was present. Before leaving, Kara ensured Jess knew she was to phone Kara Danvers if anything happened, weakly explaining that it would be the fastest way to reach Supergirl. The unimpressed look on the secretary’s face implied that it wasn’t just L-Corp’s CEO who knew her secret.

-

Kara took a sickening amount of pleasure in hearing the crack of the son of bitch’s arm breaking as she hefted him into the air and chucked ( _in as an undignified manner as I could_ ) into the back of the DEO’s custody van. Kara had come incredibly close to unleashing her heat vision on the ringleader, the one that kept pressing the switch. The one that had upped the voltage.

It was only down to Alex’s calm and soothing words in her ear that prevented Kara from becoming a killer that day. Kara knew she would be grateful for Alex’s intervention one day in the future, but at that moment letting him live left a sour taste in Kara’s mouth.  

“That was the last one.” Kara panted out, as she hovered in the air and watched the van’s door swing closed and the engine start up.

“Affirmative.” Winn replied over the comms. Winn had been utterly serious and business-like for the whole affair, and Kara was indescribably grateful that he understood without Kara needing to say it, how much she needed to feel as if everyone was taking Lena’s kidnapping as seriously as she was.

_He’s earned Cheetos for games’ night, that’s for sure._

“Alright, I’m heading back to the hospital. Can you get J’onn to cover for Supergirl for the rest of the day?” Kara requested as she slowly rose into the air and made towards the hospital.

“Err… yes, J’onn can cover… but um…” Winn trailed off awkwardly.

“What is it?”

“Lena left the hospital. She’s returned to L-Corp.”

Kara’s flight came to a sudden halt, to an observer it would look like Supergirl had hit an invisible wall mid-flight.

_Of course, she left the hospital._

Kara’s jaw clenched and she ground her teeth together in frustration.

“She nearly died, Winn.” Kara muttered darkly.

“I know.” Winn responded quietly.

-

Kara stormed through L-Corp, the security guards eyeing her warily. Kara was completely tunnel visioned as she stamped towards Lena’s office. The door flew open with the slightest push, cracking against the wall and breaking chunks of plastering off. Lena who was yet again hunched over her computer looked up with an expression that could only be described as ‘oh, shit’.

“You nearly died, Lena!” Kara yelled, pure emotion ripping the words from her throat, not even noticing the cracks forming in the floor with every step she took as her eyes remained fixed on Lena who was struggling to get to her feet, still unsteady after her trauma.

“Kara-”, the nonchalance in Lena’s demeanour and the light tone she was trying to adopt enraged Kara further.

“No, Lena!” Kara roared as the exhaustion and the deep sorrow she had been bottling up since leaving Lena at the hospital rose up. “What in the name of Rao were you thinking when you left the hospital?”

Kara didn’t know why she bothered asking. She already knew the answer.

_Weakness. Lena hates appearing weak._

_That is the stupidest reason ever._

_She could have hurt herself even more because of her stupid pride._

_Did she have any idea how much that would hurt me?_

The sorrow and pain burst through Kara’s already weakened barrier. All she could do was fight to hold back a flood tears and croak out a desperate, “Do you know what it would do to me if I lost you?”

Lena’s face went blank and there was an audible swallow as she shook her head.

Stunned. That’s what Kara was.

_She doesn’t know?!_

“How can you not know?” Kara whispered giving voice to her query without realising it.

Kara’s mind whirred thinking back over everything she knew of Lena.

_She doesn’t know._

_When was the last time she said she loved someone?_

_When was the last time someone said they loved her?_

The answer came immediately and Kara hated herself for not working out earlier.

_Lex._

_She didn’t know because she didn’t think I meant it…_

Kara stepped forward suddenly strengthened by her understanding, and took Lena’s hands in her own and squeezed them lightly to encourage Lena to meet her gaze. The green eyes that finally met her own were so open and vulnerable that Kara stumbled over her words, “I figured… I thought… you just didn’t feel the same way… but you didn’t think I meant it.”

Lena’s jaw dropped slightly, her eyes coming to life with shock and joy. She looked as if Kara had just given her the answer to every question she had ever asked.

Even with this visible and apparent display of emotion on Lena’s face, Kara was still in no way prepared for what came next. “I love you, Kara.”

Kara’s jaw dropped in an extremely unattractive manner. ( _Rude!_ )

_She loves me?!_

_But does she love me or love love me…?_

“I’m in love with you, Kara.” Lena breathed out with a voice that would accept no arguement over her declaration.

_Oh, Rao…_

“You’re- You’re- You’re in...” Kara stuttered.

“Yes.” Lena affirmed as she stepped just that little bit closer to Kara, until their bodies were brushing together ever so slightly. Kara felt the blush rise and consume her features, her mind enjoyably empty as she focused entirely on committing this moment to memory. “And I should have said it to you when we were watching ‘The Lion King’.”

Kara knew she was smiling her signature, cheesy Lena exclusive grin ( _patent pending_ ) but couldn’t find it within herself to care even remotely. Just when Kara thought that exact moment couldn’t get any better, any brighter or more beautiful, Lena was leaning forward and brushing her lips against Kara’s.

The kiss was soft and searching. It surpassed everything Kara had hoped her first kiss with Lena would be.

Fireworks, butterflies, electricity… it was all there in that one kiss.

All too soon, Lena was pulling away with a light tug at Kara’s bottom lip, an incredibly smug and sexy smirk settling over her features.

“Don’t think for a second this means I’m not still mad about you leaving the hospital.” Kara whispered teasingly. _I am still angry about that but I can appreciate that I should be focusing on other things right now, hence the teasing… for now._

Lena arched an eyebrow but murmured an earnest, “I know.” A quick kiss quickly followed and softened Lena’s serious murmuring. “Say it again.” Lena breathed out her eyes vulnerable and her smile that genuine one Kara adored.

_Say what again?_

_Oh…. Right…_

“I love you, Lena.” Kara promised fervently as she moved to recapture Lena’s lips in a deep kiss.

_I love you, Lena._

_And I will tell you that every day for as long as you’ll have me._


End file.
